A 27 year old's (mis)adventures in and out of Manila — from sights, sounds, and scenes — to living as a millennial in this crazy/beautiful city.

Signs of Aging

Less than a month from now, I’ll be turning 26. OH MY GOD. I cannot believe I’m entering my late twenties.

I know, I know… I may still be considered young. But for me and my fellow 1990 kids out there, it’s surreal to watch television and find out that the love teams currently making the rounds just barely passed 20. It’s even more weird when friends’ younger brothers and sisters (who used to be so small and cute) are now in college or have graduated from college, and already have boyfriends-girlfriends, or even driving cars.

At work, about half of the team is younger than me. Friends and classmates from high school and college are beginning to get hitched or even already have families of their own.

Coming to terms with the fact that you’re approaching your late twenties isn’t easy especially when you feel like you haven’t accomplished a lot yet and there’s still so much to do. I still want to pursue a masters degree, for one — and whatever happened to my goal of traveling to New York City by the time I’m 28? That’s just two years from now and I don’t think it’s gonna happen just yet.

So yeah, here are more reasons or signs that I am way past young, wild, and free 21 and more into entering tita territory at (almost) 26:

No more walwal drinking sessions. I can no longer drink without a care in the world, the way I did when I was 18 or 19. Now I worry about really bad hangovers that can render me useless the next day (and I cannot afford to be a non-functioning human being even just for a day anymore THERE’S SO MUCH ADULTING TO DO) or not being able to drive myself home. After several episodes of GERD in the last two years, I’ve also become more careful with my alcohol — always choosing just a bottle of beer over hard drinks that, while lethal, are still more fun.

I prefer to stay in during off days. Excluding set dates with friends or my boyfriend, spontaneous nights out are now a no-no and my bed has become my weekend best friend. My bed + episodes of 30 Rock + unhealthy snacks (huhu) have become my new idea of cool.

Noise and crowds now irritate me. I used to revel in the energy of crowds and sounds but now I cannot even go to Trinoma knowing just how full it can be. When music is too loud in a restaurant, I would ask for it to be turned down — pronto. Bars that have soft, chill out music are preferred over the one that’s packed and play blasting sounds on the speakers. I don’t even go to mall sales anymore — I would love to, for the discount, but the amount of people squeezing in the aisles and stores just downright scares me.

I’m actually thinking about the future. When I was 21, money in became money out — eating out, shopping, trips, pampering. Now it’s still pretty much the same but I’m actually thinking of investing just so I won’t find myself scratching God-knows-where for money by the time I retire (or if I do get married) by the time I have kids to send to school.

Independence is the new goal. Living with my parents has its perks, but I believe it has contributed to my still being a semi lazy-ass at this age. I want to really be able to emancipate and live on my own — pay rent, my own bills, do every single chore (because no one else will do it), and as babaw as it sounds — kill a cockroach on my own (cos I still ask my Dad to do that). LOL.

I guess feeling old also comes with a sense of maturity, of actually beginning to set priorities straight. It’s a double-edged sword really, and while I hate thinking about the fact that I am going to be freaking 26 — I’m kind of excited for the next chapter. More responsibilities (and problems haha) but definitely a lot more to learn.